- Rivers continue to rise a week after Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida.
- The high water is disrupting neighborhood plans for some.
- Watch the video above to see how those along the Santa Fe river are staying safe.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Floodwaters are rising in parts of this neighborhood -- one week after Hurricane Debby swept through here.
I'm Alberto Camargo in Suwannee County. Here on the Santa Fe River-- near the county border with Gilchrist and Lafayette counties -- you can see the flood waters rising.
On this pole you can see where water levels rose to historically. I'm speaking with neighbors who remember these floods -- and finding out how they're preparing for this week.
The Powells have owned a home on the Santa Fe River for decades.
And they were looking forward to a celebration soon.
JIM POWELL / DEBBIE POWELL - "Well this Saturday will be our 50th wedding anniversary and we had a nice big party planned here for people to come and swim and kayak and play corn hole. Of course, Debby put an end to that."
Despite the flood changing plans, the Powells aren't evacuating.
They tell me they remember seeing the all-time record high flood in 1973 -- when water rose ten feet higher than they're projected to this week.
SEE WHY AREA RIVERS ARE RISING SO SLOWLY IN THE VIDEO BELOW:
Even still, the Powells prepared.
POWELL - "When we knew the water was going to come up and they're saying 26 feet -- we'll move everything as high as we can and hope that it keeps dropping because they always tend to predict high and it almost always drops back down."
Suwannee County Emergency Management staff are ready to respond. They have moved their base near Branford -- just a few miles down the road -- to be in a better position for neighbors on the south side of the county.
One point of distribution remains open in the area with water, ice and ready-to-eat meals available to pick up for free.
The Powells tell me most neighbors they know don't live in the area full-time -- but plenty came by to make sure their homes were ready for anything.
POWELL - "Still not fun, but it is what it is. It's one of the things you kind of accept living on the river."
A hotline for free damage and debris cleanup is also now open for neighbors.
